The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Wednesday said government should revisit plans to revive old dams in favour of constructing new dams with special focus on Kalabagh Dam (KBD). KBD is the most viable and most politicised projects in the history of Pakistan which would cost less and last longer than any other dam in the country, Dr Murtaza Mughal, President PEW said.
Local and international experts have linked survival of Pakistan to KBD and opined that desilting of Tarbela reservoir is not an economically or technically very viable option. Tarbela has already lost 30 percent capacity to 6.6 million acre feet to silting over the years but experts said that instead of undertaking massive desilting exercise it would be more economical to build a new dam. Dr Murtaza Mughal said that Tarbela Dam has an estimated lifespan of 50 years; it would complete its designed life by 2029 while KBD has an estimated life of 450 years.